Monday, December 22, 2008

Prosecutors in the Ted Stevens trial were already admonished by the judge for some prosecutorial shenanigans. However, a whistleblower alleges that the failure to disclose some information helpful the defense is the least of bad conduct the prosecutors were up to:

A federal judge this afternoon is scheduled to release a whistleblower complaint in which a federal employee alleges misconduct among a law enforcement officer and prosecution team members during the investigation of Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens.

A law enforcement officer who worked closely on the investigation and trial is accused of improper conduct with key government witnesses, according to a synopsis of the complaint that was included in Judge Sullivan's 29-page opinion last week. A federal employee working the case reportedly accepted “multiple things of value”—including artwork and employment for a relative—from sources cooperating with the investigation.

The complainant, a federal employee with “extensive knowledge of the investigation and trial in this case,” according to Judge Sullivan, also alleges that a member of the prosecution team schemed to relocate a witness to keep him from testifying and also intentionally withheld evidence from the defense lawyers. Judge Sullivan said the complainant is not a "stranger" to the proceedings and was "significantly" involved in the investigation and prosecution.

Now we're all for locking up corrupt politicians around here, but not the perversion of justice that appears to have been carried out in this case. Hopefully a full accounting of the nonsense going on here will be brought to light.